Low lofted hybrid? Or utility iron?

[hammergolf]

Heading to Ireland in a couple months. I normally never play a utility iron or low lofted hybrid but I’ll be looking for a “stinger” type flight on some of the tighter holes over there to keep it out of the wind. For those of you that do carry either of those clubs, what do you prefer and why? I’m thinking either g425 2 hybrid, (set flat @ 16*) or either a Mizuno mmc 2 iron set flat @16.5*, Srixon ZX Utility set flat @ 18*, or a g425 Crossover set flat @17*. 

[Phabs]

I have a mizuno HMB 2 iron I need to get rid of if you’re interested.  Didn’t beat out my new level.   
 

ive carried a driving iron for a year now and I love it.   Helped my handicap and gave me a nice option off the tee on mid length par 4’s. 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Phabs

[ChipNRun]

You probably want at least one longer club that can hit a low, hot shot. Since you carry a 7W, you want at least one club that's launches low.

 

For me, I had my set 4i refitted with a firm-tipped SteelFiber 780 hybrid shaft. If I draw the ball, it comes off low and hot.

 

Any chance you can hit a stinger with the G410 22* hybrid?

 

To know for sure, you'll need to hit some clubs side-by-side to tell. Any chance a friend will let you borrow one of your suggested clubs? Would be nice to test in the wild before you buy one.

Edited July 27, 2021 by ChipNRun

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, ChipNRun said:

You probably want at least one longer club that can hit a low, hot shot. Since you carry a 7W, you want at least one club that's launches low.

 

For me, I had my set 4i refitted with a firm-tipped SteelFiber 780 hybrid shaft. If I draw the ball, it comes off low and hot.

 

Any chance you can hit a stinger with the G410 22* hybrid?

 

To know for sure, you'll need to hit some clubs side-by-side to tell. Any chance a friend will let you borrow one of your suggested clubs? Would be nice to test in the wild before you buy one.

Im thinking it would just be for Ireland and if I play somewhere here with a need to hit it off some tees. I LOVE my 7wd. I recently added it to the bag and it’s been one of the best switches I ever made. Had a 19* hybrid that was good, but my 7 wd is like a 200yd PW. I will keep it in the bag for the trip to dig it out of rough and for some second shots into long par 4’s short par 5’s or king par 3’s.. I’m able to flight it down a little, but certainly not a stinger type flight. Same with my 22* hybrid. Really like it and can also flight it down a little but not enough for what I want off the tee. The club I want for Ireland is something I can only hit low bullets with. I plan on taking out my gap wedge to make room for the new club. 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Phabs said:

I have a mizuno HMB 2 iron I need to get rid of if you’re interested.  Didn’t beat out my new level.   
 

ive carried a driving iron for a year now and I love it.   Helped my handicap and gave me a nice option off the tee on mid length par 4’s. 

Send me a pm with pics and price. Thanks!

[MattyO1984]

Reading your post second post that it is something that you only want to hit low bullets with then I think you are having to look at a utility iron of some kind as opposed to a hybrid.

 

I am Scottish and play my golf here. I have a utility iron and 915Hd which is pretty small hybrid wise and has a lower flight that most hybrids and whilst I can hit it low if I need to, there needs to be some manipulation to do that. Don’t get my wrong, the ability to do that makes it a very versatile club and for that reason it is in there more often than the utility iron. That said, if I am playing somewhere where I don’t need to do anything other than hit it out there and let it run, it is easier to do that with the utility iron.

[JoeFrigo]

I think it really just depends on your comfort level with a low loft hybrid or utility. Ive got a PXG Gen4 2h lofted down to 16* and a New Level NLU-01 18*. 

 

The 2h w/ the right shaft launches very flat but I wouldn't quite call it a "low stinger." The 18* utility launches a touch higher on avg but the big difference is the utility is easier to launch lower when required. I cant hit a true stinger but I can hit the utility much lower compared to the 2h.

 

Here in Chicago I play some links style courses on Lake Michigan where its windy pretty much all the time. Im sure its not quite the same as Ireland but I find the 2h to be fine in those conditions. I dont carry a 3w so if im playing the links courses here ill usually carry both the 2h and utility

[Drivingrangehero]

You kind of split the difference between hybrid and utility with some clubs that can be great off the tee for low runners if you have that ability, and some long iron distances that you could get a bit of elevation. 
 

The Titleist U510, Taylormade DHY, Ping Crossover all come to mind. 
 

I play an Adams 18* DHY that I can hit low off the tee if needed and higher off the deck if needed. The Taylormade DHY is almost the same thing, just with a different branding and look to it. They are much like the Crossover, although I havent hit the past couple of iterations of the Crossover which mentioned already.
 

Personally when the idea is to keep it low, it’s easier to flight down a Crossover than a Ping hybrid. (I’ve only hit the G400 and G410)
 

For me, it’s best to get something in the middle and work it up or down. 

 

I have a T-MB 2 iron at 17* and it’s great off the tee. I can flight it up or down as needed and it’s ok off the deck, but not so forgiving. I replaced it with an 18* Adams DHY. I can flight it low (not as low as the T-MB) into the wind with a nice boring trajectory, I can flight it high when needed (higher and easier to flight up than my T-MB) and it’s very forgiving (much more than my T-MB) 

 

I see the Crossover as more of the same as my DHY compared to a Ping Blueprint or i500. It’s much more difficult to flight a hybrid down than it is a Crossover. 

 

[hagimihale]

I have a Mizuno MP-18 Fli-Hi 16.5* that goes in the bag during the winter, when the wind in FL picks up.   It's primarily used on tee shots where I'm looking for something low with good roll.  

 

It's pretty forgiving and I can get it up in the air if I want, but I think it will meet your needs quite well.

 

I tend to replace it with a fairway wood in the summer/fall, when rain season softens the courses and I need more carry and less roll.

[getitdaily]

If the club is for control off the tee then go 100% utility iron, not hybrid.

[naws-golfer]

The DI will go low with less spin. I prefer a hybrid for lower shots only for the built in forgiveness of the metal face. My driving iron and hybrid with the same loft go off with the same trajectory. The DI is a lighter shaft and the hybrid is heavier and stiffer. There’s not a shot I can’t hit with the hybrid plus the forgiveness has put the iron up on eBay.

[ChipNRun]

10 hours ago, hammergolf said:

The club I want for Ireland is something I can only hit low bullets with.

My reshafted 4i does that for me, on a draw. Lucky solution too - it was a set 4i, and the shaft was a hybrid I had from separate reshaft plan that didn't take place.

[hammergolf]

10 hours ago, naws-golfer said:

The DI will go low with less spin. I prefer a hybrid for lower shots only for the built in forgiveness of the metal face. My driving iron and hybrid with the same loft go off with the same trajectory. The DI is a lighter shaft and the hybrid is heavier and stiffer. There’s not a shot I can’t hit with the hybrid plus the forgiveness has put the iron up on eBay.

That’s kinda what in thinking, plus the bulge and roll on the hybrid will help a litter on a mishit. I think the g425 cranked down to 16* should be a bullet off the tee and the turf. Plus could come in handy around the greens chip/putting with it.

[geochitown]

Tour Edge has some nice utility iron options in the EXS 220

 

17* with that HZRDS Black would be low and there is a notch in the hosel, so you could get a clubfitter to bend it for lie, as well as slightly lower loft, if you want.

 

Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Ti-Utility - Best Value

 

 

 

 

[skwannabe]

1 hour ago, geochitown said:

Tour Edge has some nice utility iron options in the EXS 220

 

17* with that HZRDS Black would be low and there is a notch in the hosel, so you could get a clubfitter to bend it for lie, as well as slightly lower loft, if you want.

 

Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Ti-Utility - Best Value

 

 

 

 

I also would recommend tour edge exotics. I lose a lot of strokes off the tee because I don't know how to hit a driver off the tee. Played around with driving irons/utility irons because I felt confident with my iron striking. Tried out Ping G utility iron, G425, Srixon ZU85 and ZX, and Taylormade P790 UDI, DHY, UDI. Currently gaming Taylormade 2iron UDI, but before deciding on the Taylormade. I tried out the Tour Edge exotics EXS 220 TI utility and I was really impressed with the forgiving and easy to launch high as well as hit low.

[Drivingrangehero]

3 hours ago, geochitown said:

Tour Edge has some nice utility iron options in the EXS 220

 

17* with that HZRDS Black would be low and there is a notch in the hosel, so you could get a clubfitter to bend it for lie, as well as slightly lower loft, if you want.

 

Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Ti-Utility - Best Value

 

 

 

 

I agree on that too. 
 

I carry a Tour Edge CBX Ironwood at 22* and love it. 
 

The only reason I didn’t mention the EXS Utility was the shaft (Tensei Silver) I didn’t care for it, and preferred the Ironwood because of the OG Hzrdus black.  I had no idea the EXS utility ti had a Hzrdus Smoke Black in them. I hit a couple of the EXS Utility Ti at a PGASS at 17* and 19*, but they both had Tensei Silvers in them. 
 

I should have looked at the black oxide ones to see if they had the Hzrdus. I like the look of the chrome ones better, so I didn’t bother to look at any of the black ones 🤦‍♂️ 

 

I like the TEE CBX Ironwood, but it is a very hard clicky feeling compared to the Titleist U510. They performed about the same for me, and for $88  I could overlook a bit of a clicky hard feeling when it’s performing so well. 
 

 

 

[NorCal678]

For what you are looking for a driving iron is the way to go.  Not even close.  

 

You won't be able to get it to stop on greens like a hybrid, but for links golf its perfect.  

 

Also go and work on knock down shots, you're going to need it for more than just tee shots.

 

Have fun!